April 2026- NCIC Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the April Newsletter for 2026. Earlier this month, a large group of us travelled to Munich for the annual congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. I am extremely proud of the NCIC contributions on this international stage.

Looking ahead, we are preparing for the next stage of this busy period, including the International Immunocompromised Host Society (ICHS) Symposium in Houston, the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) Annual Scientific Meeting, and the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Scientific Meeting.

Lastly, we are extremely proud to present our annual symposium this year on July 30. The topic will explore “Managing Invasive Fungal Infections in Critical Care: From Surveillance to Optimised Therapy.”

NCIC’s Annual Symposium 2026

We invite you to attend the 2026 National Centre for Infections in Cancer (NCIC) Annual Symposium, which will be held on:

30th July 2026 (Thursday)

12.30-1.50pm AEST

Online (Teams)

Join us to hear from a distinguished panel of international and national experts, spanning surveillance, genomics, optimised antifungal therapy, patient outcomes, and the future of personalised care in IFI management in critical care setting.

ESCMID Global 2026 Recap

Recently, the NCIC team was well represented at the premier global infectious diseases conference, Congress of European Society of
 Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Munich, Germany.

Our team made an outstanding contribution across research, clinical science, and international leadership, showcasing the depth and impact of our work in infections in cancer.

• 20+ total scientific contributions

• 1 late-breaking oral presentation

• 9 poster presentations

• 6 ePoster flash presentations

• 5 invited / leadership roles

• 2 ESCMID study group engagements

• 1 international executive council appointment

It was a fantastic week of high-quality presentations, engaging discussions, and global collaboration. Congratulations to everyone involved! This strong presence highlights the expertise and leadership within the NCIC community on the international stage.

Congratulations Associate Professor Michelle Yong!

Congratulations to Associate Professor Michelle Yong on being elected Treasurer of The ESCMID Study Group for Respiratory Viruses (ESGREV) Executive Committee for the 2026–2028 term.

We are incredibly proud of her achievement and grateful for her great contributions to our team. Wishing her every success in this well-deserved role.

ESGREV’s Open meeting at ESCMID 2026

Congratulations Professor Ben Teh

We’re proud to share that Ben Teh has been appointed Honorary Clinical Professor with the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne.

In close collaboration with Parkville precinct, national clinical and leading international research centres, his cross-disciplinary research program has advanced the management and prevention of infections by systematically identifying infection risks with new cancer treatments, evaluating use of immune profiling to predict infection risk, trialling innovative vaccination approaches targeted at risk groups, translating evidence generated into clinical guidelines and implementing new care models to achieve wide-ranging health impacts. He has presented and published his research extensively in leading global journals including New England Journal of Medicine and in the last 5 years, is the top Australian and top 10 global author for vaccination in cancer patients. He continues to shape scientific publishing as an editor for Transplant Infectious Diseases.

We said goodbye to our visiting fellow from Barcelona, Dr Pere Medina Martí, after a fantastic two-month visit with our team.

Pere joined us from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona via the group of previous visiting fellow and collaborator Dr Pedro Puerta, continuing our growing Spanish Fellow tradition, from Pedro (2024) to Enric Sastre-Escola (2025), and now Pere (2026).

It’s been a pleasure having Pere with us, and we’re grateful for his contributions, collaboration, and the connections strengthened during his time here. We wish him all the very best and look forward to continuing our work together in the future.

Paper Spotlight

Sastre-Escolà, E., Reynolds, G. K., Yong, M. K., Zhu, V., Harrison, S. J., Khot, A. S., Slavin, M. A., & Teh, B. W. Cytomegalovirus reactivation in multiple myeloma patients receiving bispecific antibodies. Blood Advances.

Aim: To assess the incidence, clinical features and outcomes of CMV reactivation in CMV-seropositive multiple myeloma patients receiving bispecific antibodies.

Results:

Conclusion: CMV reactivation is a frequent early complication in multiple myeloma patients receiving bispecific antibodies.

Baseline CMV serology, a low threshold for PCR testing in symptomatic patients, and targeted early surveillance might be reasonable in selected patients.

Recent Publications

• Maertens, J., Chen, S. C. A., Thompson, G. R. 3rd, Donovan, F., Dane, A., Birch, M., Pinder, C., Bennett, J., Ravenna, V., Marin Fernandez, O., Ross, G., Zinzi, D., & Rex, J. H. Olorofim in combination with azole antifungals: results from the Phase 2 salvage therapy study. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

• Slavin, M. A. Message from the incoming Editor-in-Chief of JAC. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

• Alastruey-Izquierdo, A., Maertens, J., Slavin, M. A., Verweij, P. E., & White, P. L. Diagnosis and risk factors for invasive mould disease – a round table discussion on directing antifungal therapy according to available evidence. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

• Maertens, J. A., Vanbiervliet, Y., Mercier, T., Aerts, R., Lagrou, K., & Slavin, M. A. 25 years of improvement in mortality in invasive aspergillosis in haematology patients: will it be sustained or is it under threat? Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

• Douglas, A. P., & Slavin, M. A. Invasive fungal disease in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: new risk factors and therapeutic options in a changing world. Transplant Infectious Disease.

• Grigg, A., & Douglas, A. Septicemia after manual razor blade shaving in neutropenic patients. Transplant Infectious Disease.

• Mitri, E. A., Vogrin, S., Paynter, C., Fletcher, L. R., Peter, J., Powell, N., Barnes, S., Li, P. H., Copaescu, A. M., Turner, N. A., James, F., Sullivan, R., Masoum, M. S., Rawlins, M., Mackay, G., Smith, B. J., Kilfoyle, P., Forster, D., Rose, M., Cowan, R., Alcorn, K., Brischetto, A., Mahony, A., Redmond, A., Chakravorty, A., Meher-Homji, Z., Yuson, C., Crawford, S., Weeks, G., Ponnampalavanar, S. S. S., Katelaris, C., Tran, P., O’Hern, J., Godsell, J., Peel, T. N., Sandaradura, I., New, D., Holland, C., Cutfield, T., Coghill, S., Hand, C., Williams, J., Bishop, J., Lambros, B., Day, C., Ierano, C., Holmes, N. E., Roberts, J. A., Fernando, S. L., & Trubiano, J. A. Direct oral challenge for penicillin allergy: A hospital implementation evaluation via the iNAAN study. Clinical Infectious Diseases.

• Mitri, E. A., Fletcher, L. R., Vogrin, S., Barnes, S., Powell, N., Peter, J., Li, P. H., Copaescu, A. M., Turner, N. A., James, F., Paynter, C., Sullivan, R., Masoum, M. S., Rawlins, M., Mackay, G., Smith, B. J., Kilfoyle, P., Forster, D., Rose, M., Cowan, R., Alcorn, K., Brischetto, A., Mahony, A., Redmond, A., Chakravorty, A., Meher-Homji, Z., Yuson, C., Crawford, S., Weeks, G., Ponnampalavanar, S. S. S., Katelaris, C., Tran, P., O’Hern, J., Godsell, J., Peel, T. N., Sandaradura, I., New, D., Holland, C., Cutfield, T., Coghill, S., Hand, C., Williams, J., Bishop, J., Lambros, B., Day, C., Ierano, C., Roberts, J. A., Holmes, N. E., Klaic, M., Fernando, S. L., & Trubiano, J. A. Direct oral challenge for penicillin allergy: The iNAAN study. Clinical Infectious Diseases.

• Stewart, A. G., Douglas, A. P., Kidd, S. E., Salmanton-García, J., Cornely, O. A., Morris, A. J., Halliday, C. L., & Chen, S. C. Mycological testing in Australasian clinical mycology laboratories: survey of the current state and access to testing. Pathology.

Upcoming Events

Please join us for the ICHS symposium, the event offers comprehensive scientific programming, insights into cutting-edge research, innovative care practices, and effective management strategies for immunocompromised hosts.

The ASID Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) is the Society’s flagship event and the leading professional gathering for adult and paediatric ID physicians, clinical microbiologists, public health leaders, One Health, veterinarian and ecology specialists, nurses, scientists, pharmacists, policy makers, and researchers across Australasia. Together, we shape the future of infectious diseases.

27-30 May, Hobart

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We look forward to connecting with you on both LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Kind regards,

Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology

Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer